Dr. Jack P. Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Bible, Harding University, Graduate School of Religion, Memphis Tennessee; Dr. G. Hans Liebenow, Professor Emeritus The Athenaeum of Ohio, Mt. St. Mary's Seminary of the West; and Dr. Clyde M. Woods, Professor of Bible, Freed-Hardman University, Henderson, TN will be awarded Graduate Medallions in Cincinnati for their years of teaching and scholarship

Blu Greenberg, Author, President and Founder Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa at the Graduation ceremony in New York

Russell P. Silverman, Past Chair, Board of Trustees, Union for Reform Judaism will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa at Graduation in New York

Dr. Peter von der Osten-Sacken, Director, Institute for Church and Judaism, Humbolt University of Berlin, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa at Graduation in Los Angeles

Dr. Leo Hershkowitz, Professor of History, Queens College, City University of New York, will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa at Graduation in Cincinnati

Grace Paley, American short story writer, poet, and political activist will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa at Graduation in Cincinnati

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is proud to announce the ordination, investiture, graduate and honorary degree recipients of the Class of 2006. Founded in 1875, HUC-JIR is the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional development center of Reform Judaism, preparing men and women for careers of service as rabbis, cantors, educators and communal professionals.

Invest 12 cantors (4 men, 8 women) at Investiture Services in New York

31 rabbinical students will receive the degree of Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature/Letters

37 students will receive graduate degrees - 4 Doctor of Philosophy, 4 Doctor of Ministry, 4 Master of Philosophy, 2 Master of Arts, and 3 Master of Arts in Judaic Studies. Nine students will receive the degree of Master of Arts in Jewish Communal Service. Eleven students will receive education degrees - 3 Joint Masters of Arts in Jewish Education in conjunction with rabbinical degree, 6 Master of Arts in Jewish Education, 2 Master of Arts in Religious Education

41 rabbinical alumni will be recipients of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity

8 cantorial alumni will be recipients of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music

1 Jewish communal service alumni will be the recipient of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Jewish Communal Service

6 Jewish education alumni will be recipients of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Jewish religious education

3 graduate studies alumni will be recipients of Graduate Medallions for their years of scholarship and teaching

Honorary Awards and Prizes

The 2006 Roger E. Joseph Prize will be awarded to Clementina Cantoni, Aid Worker, CARE International at Ordination Ceremonies in New York on May 7. Cantoni is being honored for her extraordinary humanitarian work, dedicated to helping the world's poorest communities solve their most threatening problems. In 2002, Cantoni arrived in Afghanistan to run an emergency food program for some 10,000 Afghanistan war widows and orphans, with the aim of getting the women off of food vouchers and into employment. In 2005, as more and more Afghans were frustrated by the lack of development and the oppressive poverty, and their initial gratitude was replaced by cynicism, anger, and violent anti-U.S. protests, Cantoni was snatched from her car on May 16, 2005 in central Kabul. Afghan widows, who live their lives behind closed doors, emerged publicly and demonstrated their respect for Cantoni by holding protest demonstrations calling for her release. They displayed true courage by rallying on behalf of a foreign woman who had helped provide the vital resources of food, medication, and clothing for them and their children. Cantoni was released after three weeks in captivity. Today, she is in Nairobi, continuing her work on behalf of the underprivileged in yet another part of the world. The Roger E. Joseph Prize is an international award presented annually to an individual or organization, which, by virtue of religious and moral commitment, has made a distinctive contribution to humanity.

The 2006 American Jewish Distinguished Service Award is a national award presented to outstanding and prominent Jewish leaders in recognition of their commitment to enhancing the cause of Jewish life and Jewish learning. It will be awarded to Stuart Matlins, Publisher and Founder, Jewish Lights Publishing and Skylight Paths Publishing at Graduation Ceremonies in New York on May 4, in recognition of his commitment to enhancing the cause of Jewish life and Jewish learning. Through Jewish Lights Publishing, he has engaged people of all faiths and backgrounds to help them learn about who the Jewish People are, where they come from, and what the future can be made to hold.

The 2006 Sherut L'Am Award will be awarded to Paul Jeser at Graduation Ceremonies in Los Angeles on May 15, in recognition of his commitment to the College-Institute, the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and over thirty years of work within the field of Jewish Communal Service. Jeser and his son Michael are the first parent-child duo to both have attended the School of Jewish Communal Service. He has served as a senior executive officer at Federations in Orlando and Maine, and has held senior professional positions at CLAL, Jewish National Fund and American Friends of Hebrew University. Jeser credits much of his success in these positions from his experience with the School of Jewish Communal Service. The Sherut L'Am Award recognizes an individual whose creative vision and passion has been manifested in his or her endeavors to perpetuate the continuity of Judaism.

The 2006 Dr. Bernard Heller Prize will be awarded to Dr. Paul. M. Steinberg, posthumously at Graduation Ceremonies in New York on May 4. Rabbi, teacher, mentor, Dean, and Vice President of the College-Institute, Dr. Paul Steinberg served HUC-JIR for five decades with dedication, passion and skill. Dr. Steinberg's service to the College-Institute began in 1955. At HUC-JIR/New York, he served as Dean of the Rabbinical School, the School of Education, the School of Sacred Music, and as Dean of the New York School where he served the longest tenure of a Dean in the history of the College-Institute. He also assumed responsibilities for the development of the Jerusalem School and was appointed its first Executive Dean. Dr. Steinberg served as Eleanor Sinsheimer Distinguished Service Professor of Education in Human Relations, Vice President for Communal Development, Chairman of Faculty of the NY School and on the Boards of the Jewish Braille Institute, the Albright Institute of Archaeology in Jerusalem, the Hospital for Joint Diseases, and Dorot. He was President of the Gimprich Foundation. Dr. Steinberg earned his B.S. in Social Science with Honors at the College of the City of New York and the M.S. in Educational Psychology at the School of Education at City College. He was ordained and received the Master of Hebrew Literature Degree from the Jewish Institute of Religion in 1949. He received his Doctorate in Psychological Services from Columbia University and taught at Hebrew University, New York University, Baruch College, the Department of Defense and the Army Management School. Dr. Steinberg is survived by his wife of 58 years, Trudy Strudler Steinberg; a daughter, Alana Wittenberg of Los Angeles; a son, Dr. Alan L. Steinberg of Stony Brook, N.Y.; and seven grandchildren. The Dr. Bernard Heller Prize is an international award presented annually to an individual or organization whose, work, writings, or research reflects the values and commitment to the betterment of humanity.

A breakdown of degree recipients by School location and program follows:

New York Graduation - May 4, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. - held at Congregation Emanu-El of the City of New York, 10 East 66th Street, New York, New York

The College-Institute will bestow honorary degrees upon the following recipients:

Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa:

Blu Greenberg

Author, President and Founder, Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, who will also present theGraduation Address.

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Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is North America's leading institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates leaders to serve North American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and nonprofit management professionals, and offers graduate programs to scholars and clergy of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise the renowned Klau Library, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, museums, research institutes and centers, and academic publications. In partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, HUC-JIR sustains the Reform Movement's congregations and professional and lay leaders. HUC-JIR's campuses invite the community to cultural and educational programs illuminating Jewish heritage and fostering interfaith and multiethnic understanding. www.huc.edu

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The HUC-JIR website is supported, in part, by the Jim Joseph Foundation, the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati, the Golden Family Foundation, and the Irma L. and Abram S. Croll Center for Jewish Learning and Culture.